Bringing Bailey Home
My whole life I had always been surrounded by dogs, so when I finally reached a point in my life where I had the space and time to buy one, I couldn't wait!
I bought my puppy Bailey from a lovely couple in the countryside. He was the sweetest, most sensitive boy and quickly became our little family's third member. I couldn’t have been happier to have this bundle of love by my side every day.
The First Seizure
Two years later, a month after moving house, Bailey jumped on the sofa, collapsed and started shaking violently. I watched in horror- totally at a loss for what to do. I remember picking him up and running down the road in tears, trying to hail a cab to get him to an animal hospital. Once at the vet, she reassured me that this was most likely a one-off seizure and that I had nothing to worry about. Unfortunately, she was wrong.
Trying to Live with Canine Epilepsy
The seizures kept coming, and they started becoming more frequent. He was put on medication to try and stop them, but it just wasn’t helping. Between work, my social life and managing a household, I was now rushing to vet appointments, administering exact dosages of medication at precise times during the day and constantly worried my dog was about to die.
I could never get used to watching him lying on the floor half-conscious, desperately paddling his paws. The seizures lasted around 5 minutes each time, and he would lose control of his bladder and bowels. All I could do was sit by his side and try to reassure him. Afterwards, he would be scared and clingy, drooling until his brain could find equilibrium again.
Months of changing medication dosages followed, but nothing was having an impact. I was continuously dealing with several vets who didn’t seem to know what they were doing and weren’t providing adequate care.
He was sent for an MRI and Cerebral Fluid test to rule out canine distemper and check for structural issues in the brain that could be causing the seizures. The vet lost the spinal fluid sample and wanted to do the procedure again, putting him under general anaesthetic for a second time. I also watched junior vets try to perform blood draws but were unable to find a vein; they stabbed my poor dog up to 20 times. I was so sick and tired of no one having the situation under control and feeling totally helpless.
Breaking Point
Bailey was then put on a second medication, Potassium Bromide. It was at this point that he really began to deteriorate. The medication not only made his epilepsy worse, but the side effects were unbearable. He became ataxic and lost control of his limbs even when he wasn’t having seizure activity. He struggled to walk downstairs for weeks, and he couldn’t jump on the sofa without falling off. He became anxious and aggressive; I could barely recognise my sweet dog. And this was all the side effects of a drug that was meant to be helping him.
My vet refused to take him off the secondary medication, fearing it would make him worse. This, combined with the fact that they seemingly had no control over dispensing his drugs on the correct date, led me to breaking point. I was stressed out beyond belief, and no one was helping me solve the problem. Even a consult with a canine neurologist spelt doom and gloom. A year into dealing with this issue, I was given no guarantees and more and more warnings that his condition would worsen if I took him off the second medication.
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A Crash Course in Canine Health
I decided to take matters into my own hands, I took Bailey off the Potassium Bromide, and I hired a canine nutritionist and behaviourist to help me through the process. It was expensive but worth it. I learned that when you don’t know what is causing the seizures, your safest bet is to try and eliminate all possible causes. At the end of the day, we all want to feel like we are doing the absolute best for our dogs- they're family, after all!
I realised how much I was exposing Bailey to neurotoxins in daily life through his food, flea & tick treatments and household products. I changed them all.
I started to understand just how nutritionally empty the food I was feeding him was. Dry kibble with added MCT oil, prescribed by the vet, was not what he needed at all. I swapped him to a real meat diet free of preservatives and added the MCT Oil myself.
Working with the canine nutritionist, we created a supplement protocol that would boost Bailey’s general health and protect his liver & kidneys from the side effects of the medication.
Working with the behaviourist, I learned how to reduce his anxiety levels. After the experience with the Potassium Bromide, which was so harmful to his neurological health, Bailey needed to learn how to relax again.
Things Got Better
Within a month, Bailey went from having seizures three times a day to once a month, and now we have reached a point where he is over a year seizure-free!
Through a combination of dietary intervention, medication, removing neurotoxins from his surroundings, and a specially formulated supplement protocol, things began to stabilise.
The Remaining issue
I was left with another problem- trying to source the special diet and supplements and, constantly chasing my vet to get his prescription on time meant I was spending hours a week trying to keep Bailey’s epilepsy under control. I had to remember to put all these orders in and have random deliveries throughout the month. Nothing came in the right dose for Bailey’s exact weight, and it was hard to manage it all on top of life's other stresses.
Dogileptic - Solving Canine Epilepsy
That’s why we created Dogileptic. Canine epilepsy is hard enough without having to deal with all of the admin on top of having a sick pet. I have been on this journey, and I know how much of a toll it takes on both pets and owners. We want to make sure every dog is getting the best care available while removing all the stress for the people that care for them.
There is so much I wish I had known at the beginning of my canine epilepsy journey with Bailey. Dogileptic is here to help you manage your pet’s condition, give you peace of mind that you are doing everything you can, and eliminate the majority of the administrative tasks required. We put everything in one box, in the exact dosage for your pet, and we are always here to provide friendly advice along the way!
Christina & Bailey xx
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